Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Following the scene of untold and seemingly boundless carnage, Kieran returned to the ground like a feather. Neither his increased mass nor the weight of Crimson Ashrune could overcome the embrace of the Baneful Cyclone.

Of course, that was understandable, given the fact it was a genuine S Rank Skill achieved at Lv.50. It was general knowledge that the later one gained access to a skill, the stronger its inherent properties were since they needed to match the condition of the user.

Then again, after a Class Advancement, Skill Ranking wasn't the only aspect that mattered in the process of determining a skill's parameters.

Though players had yet to understand the true meaning of it all, an Enhanced S Rank Skill far outclassed a generic S Rank Skill, as seen by the outcome of Bastion activating his Last Stand ability.

Upon returning to the ground, Kieran was greeted by a series of messages, the first of which was the most alarming because it revealed that Kieran's name had turned a deep and dark red like that of dried blood.

〈System: You have generated an ungodly amount of «Infamy». Your current Infamy Value is estimated to be 4,036. With this value, you have entered «Fourth Degree Infamy».〉

〈System: Due to your «Infamy Value» reaching the Fourth Degree, a Strike II Bounty has been placed on you—ERROR!〉

〈ERROR! ERROR! The placement of the «Strike II Bounty» has failed.〉

As Kieran looked at the blaring error messages before his eyes, Kieran's eyebrow rose with intrigue. He had experienced and had even been the target of a Strike II Bounty before.

It was an official bounty enacted by the Adventurers' Guild, which employed up to Epic Adventurers due to the fear of the bounty's target having relations to a powerful dark organization.

Their heinous crimes usually resulted in a massive loss of life, so the Adventurers' Guild learned that it was better to nip the issue in the bud before it could become an extremely large issue.

However, should the culprit reach a Strike III Bounty threat level without dying… the War Deity Council would be alerted as well, as the Sanctorum Creed, who generally mobilized to deal with nefarious threats.

Due to the nature of the Strike Bounty, Kieran had a feeling the error stemmed from the marking on his hand. After all, the Adventurers' Guild wasn't authorized to make a move against the members of the War Deity Council, much less this generation's War Champion.

'So this is what it means when I could employ the renown of the War Deity Council. In other words, even without the Ruthless Valor passive to minimize my Infamy, I wouldn't necessarily have to fear an assault. Of course… this only pertains to situations such as these.'

If Kieran did commit an atrocious act that not even the Lords of the War Deity Council could justify, he would have to atone for his actions.

Such was the punishment attached to joining the War Deity Council's Virtuous Faction. Their inclination to inflict impartial judgment was almost astonishing.

However, that just went to show how well Veradin disciplined his followers. Whether it was through fear or respect, even in Veradin's absence, his followers upheld the mantra of their faction.

Coins and dropped equipment littered the scarred ground for a kilometer in every direction. Because this was an open battle and not a dungeon or team endeavor, Kieran couldn't make use of his Auto Loot.

Nevertheless, after noticing his expression, Altair looked in a certain direction. "You can show yourself, Master Zephyr."

After listening to Altair's words, even Kieran turned his head and looked in the direction he had once gleamed an odd presence. He reckoned it had to be Zephyr, simply because of the nearly identical energy signature.

However, Kieran couldn't confirm his speculations. Just like with Altair's Lightless Shroud, when he attempted to pierce the darkness he saw in the distance, the expected duration appeared as multiple question marks.

Following Altair's suggestion, Zephyr, who was a spitting image of Altair, save for his more robust physique and taller status, and was also currently dressed in the garbs of a Shadow Dancer, appeared.

After his appearance, everyone gasped, stifled by a strange pressure. This wasn't a voluntary act performed by Zephyr. Instead, it was the suppression inferior beings felt when a superior one was in their presence.

Like Scar, Zephyr was another powerful individual. Though only in his Third Awakening, Zephyr could similarly go toe to toe with some newly Enlightened Beings.

As they drew power from sources of unbelievable magnitude, it wasn't odd that they possessed the ability to battle above their State of Being without suffering dire losses.

Dire meaning certain death.

"Successor of the Blood Fiend," Zephyr spoke, giving Kieran a faint nod.

"Master of the Shadows. It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Zephyr," Kieran said respectfully.

While he spoke, the pathway to his Vengeful Soul closed, which then led to the disappearance of the odd markings on his face. At the same time, all signs of rage Kieran felt vanished as the Archaic Verity Compendium released a mystical cascade of energy.

The unusual droplets felt spectacular when they came in contact with his riled-up Vengeful Soul. Unbeknownst to Kieran, he released a contented sigh as he returned to normal.

"Oh? You know who I am?" Zephyr questioned.

Although he had been present this entire time, his successor had never once been in contact with the young man before him. So, the odds of Kieran receiving details of Zephyr's presence from Altair were rather small.

Of course, Zephyr momentarily entertained the thought of Scar being the reason for Kieran's awareness, but he soon discarded that possibility. Though there was no animosity between them, Scar and Zephyr rarely spoke.

In fact, it had been more than 10 years since their last conversation.

Based on the assimilation Zephyr sensed, he estimated this boy couldn't have held this power for more than a year. Hence, Scar being the reason wasn't plausible.

"I know of all the Mythical Heroes, Master Zephyr. I made it my business to educate myself. So, I'd naturally be aware of your many titles. Even the Vanquisher of Light, who is responsible for defending the Black Door inside the Buried Shade," Kieran voiced.

The more Kieran spoke, the more intrigued Zephyr grew. "A Berserker that isn't afraid to acquire knowledge? No wonder that mysterious girl took a liking to you."

"Mysterious girl?! What mysterious girl? Damn you! Don't tell me that damned wench sunk her claws into my twerp!"

A boisterous voice echoed throughout the atmosphere as a rough tear in space opened up. The tear was black and crimson in color, but the color wasn't the focus.

The important detail of this tear was the towering figure that descended with a frown.

BANG!

This towering figure, who shook the ground as he landed, was naturally Scar, who came after sensing a strange bloody aura even while all the way in the Wildes.

He feared it was Argexes' Blood running amok within Kieran, so he moved abruptly with zero care for his current activities.

When it came to Kieran's safety, it took precedence in Scar's eyes. If Agrianos were to be the one to move and confirmed that Kieran couldn't handle Argexes' Blood, he would have undoubtedly wiped Kieran's existence with his Origin of Destruction.

At the moment, Scar didn't seem too happy. While he confirmed that Argexes' Blood was not to blame, he also confirmed two other matters that almost compelled him to thrash Kieran.

"Damned boy! You were scammed by her unmatched looks and velvety voice, weren't you?" Scar spat, narrowing his eyes. He looked at Kieran in disgust with a scrunched nose and continued to shake his head.

Exasperated, Scar couldn't believe what was before his eyes. His boy had been tainted!

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kieran blinked, giving Scar a blank stare.

"Don't pull that bullshit with me. I can smell it on you. Not to mention…" Scar paused as his eyes released a piercing red light while his nose took on the shape of a wolf's. "What's this other smell on you? It's stronger… far stronger than Agatha—to the point it's almost unfathomable to me."

What Scar smelled was naturally Hekaina's presence, which also doubled as her saliva of a peerlessly sweet scent. After a while, Scar had to revert back to his pure human form as the pungent sweetness of the aroma sickened him.

"Oh. If you're truly curious, you should ask Lord Agrianos. Why should I tell you that?" Kieran snickered with a mischievous smirk.

However, his actions only served to gain Scar's intimate reaction.

Bang!

"Damned brat. Since when did you get so cheeky?" Scar scoffed, holding Kieran's head to the ground. "Did you forget? I am your teacher. Show me some respect."

"I'll show you respect when you stop sending me on hopeless tasks and using ambiguous promises," Kieran retorted, defiantly attempting to lift his head.

As he held down Kieran, Scar's expression gradually turned into one of surprise. 'This power… it doesn't belong to an Intermediate Being. Wait a minute…'

"Boy… did you unseal that item?" Scar questioned.

"Naturally," Kieran admitted.

As soon as he did, Scar released his head and laughed uproariously. "You never cease to amaze me! If that's the case, I don't quite care that you've been sullied by that woman."'

As they watched the interaction between Kieran and this unknown man, Nemean and Bastion couldn't help but look at each other while at a loss for words. Naturally, Kieran's stream was the same.

From the looks of it, that man was an NPC, yet the relationship he had with Kieran seemed to delve deeper than gaining rapport with an NPC.

Not too long after, Zephyr coughed and gained Scar's attention. "I wouldn't have thought that our successors would be friends."

"It's a small but large world," Scar commented, momentarily analyzing Altair. "An excellent successor you've chosen."

"You as well. He embodies the ruthlessness of your power seamlessly," Zephyr similarly complimented.

"I don't mean to interject, but could you help us with the situation regarding the spoils of war?" Altair requested.

In response, Zephyr silently swept his gaze over the battlefield before extending his hand, creating a blanket of darkness that spread for kilometers on end.